Baidu to Launch Ernie 4.5 AI Model in Mid-March, Shifts to Open-Source Strategy

Jakarta - Chinese tech giant Baidu is set to release its latest AI model, Ernie 4.5, in mid-March. This new model promises significant improvements in reasoning and multimodal capabilities, allowing it to process and integrate various data types like text, video, images, and audio. Baidu plans to gradually release the Ernie 4.5 series and make it open-source by June 30, 2025. This move follows the emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese startup whose AI model rivals those of leading U.S. firms at a lower cost, intensifying competition in the AI sector. Baidu CEO Robin Li acknowledged that DeepSeek's success prompted the shift to an open-source approach for Ernie 4.5, which he calls Baidu's best model yet. Alibaba is also joining the open-source trend with its Wan 2.1 generative AI model for video and images, further intensifying competition in China's AI industry.